Friendship-Using your words and actions to show others you care
September 2020 • Week 3
Today's Bible story: Friend Like Me (Elijah and Elisha) • 1 Kings 19:14-21; 2 Kings 2:1-15
Monthly memory verse: "A friend loves at all times. They are there to help when trouble comes." Proverbs 17:17 (NIrV)
Memory Verse for 2's - Pre-K: "A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17a NIrV
Life Application: Friendship-Using your words and actions to show others you care
Praise & Pray: Sing along with the provided worship videos and pray. Access songs here
What you might pray: "Dear Lord, your word says that a friend loves at all times. Today, help me to see the value in loving my friend through encouragement. Help me to learn how to encourage other people. In Jesus' name we pray, amen."
Read God's Word together: 1 Kings 19:14-21; 2 Kings 2:1-15 (Need a kid-friendly Bible? Check out our suggestions.)
Family Devotional & Discussion
What you do: Watch the complementary video together as a family and discuss today's question.
What you discuss: "What does the word encouragement mean? When has someone encouraged you?" Encouragement means to give someone comfort, support or hope. It could be done by actions or words. [Make it Personal - Tell kids about a time when someone encouraged you during a difficult time.]
Pray and bless your family
What you need: No supplies needed
What you do: As a family, brainstorm ways that your family can encourage other people; think of friends, family, neighbors, teachers, and even strangers you might come into contact with.
What you might pray: "God, you are awesome! Help us remember this week that [Bottom Line] friends encourage one another. We want to be the kind of friends who love at all times, especially when our friends are sad or need encouragement. Help us remember to use our words and actions to show our friends how important they are to us. Thanks for loving us, God. We love You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen."
Additional Activities
What You Need: "Question and Answer Cards" (Download Here.)
What You Do: Divide your family into two teams.
- Give each team roughly half of the "Answer Cards" and ask them to spread them out so the entire team can see them. (Note: One team will have eight cards and the other nine.)
- Tell the group that you will ask a question (from the list) and then set a timer for 20 seconds.
- Before the timer goes off, the team must work together to see if one of their "Answer Cards" is a match to the question.
- If they think they have a match, the team collectively gives a "thumbs up."
- If they don't think they have a match, the team collectively gives a "thumbs down."
- After the teams' vote, verify the answer via the "Answer Key."
- Assign points to both teams if they answered correctly with their thumbs.
What You Say: "Sometimes you'll know what to do or say to encourage your friends, and sometimes you'll wonder how you can help. It's always a good idea to pray and ask God to give you ideas on how you can encourage your friends. You can trust that God will understand our friends' needs better than we do. The important thing to remember is that we should always do our best to treat others the way we want to be treated. "What are some kind things you can say or do when your friends need your support? (I can spend time with them; I can give them a card; I can give them a hug; I can listen). Those are wonderful ideas. You guys are incredible friends! So remember, [Bottom Line] friends encourage one another."
What You Need: Clear plastic bottles, beads, sequins / glitter etc., card stock or copy paper, ribbon, scissors, glue or tape, hole punch, crayons or markers, Elijah Chariot activity page (Download Here.)
What You Do: Add glitter, beads, and other small objects to the bottle, fill with water. Glue/tape the cap closed.
- Print out picture of Elijah on the chariot. Color then punch a hole at the top.
- Tie the Elijah picture to the top of the bottle with ribbon. Use the edge of a pair of scissors to make the ribbon curly.
- Show your children how to move the bottle to make the water spin in a circle. Tell them that it is like a whirlwind except that a whirlwind is in the air, not in the water.
What You Say: "I love how God heard Elijah's cry for a friend and answered it! God knew that Elisha and Elijah would be perfect friends to each other. As the years went by, their friendship and love for each other grew. Elisha refused to leave Elijah multiple times! That's what friends do. They refuse to leave you when you're sad, confused, or hurting. Instead they stay by you and encourage you with their words and actions.
What You Need: 2 sets of "Memory Verse" cards, containers/corn hole boards, beanbags, balls, or socks rolled up (Download Here.)
What You Do: Set the two containers/boards 15-20 feet apart.
- Place a set of memory verse cards (facedown) next to each container.
- Form two teams and ask each team to line up a good distance from each container.
- Tell the group that each team will take turns throwing the beanbags (socks, balls, etc.), alternating with their opponent.
- If the beanbag lands in the container successfully, the person who threw it will pick up one card and place it face up on the floor.
- That person will then go to the end of the line, receiving high-five encouragement from each team member.
- If the beanbag misses the hole, the person will go to the end of the line without retrieving a card, but still receiving high-five encouragement from each team member.
- The first team to successfully collect all of the verse cards and put them in order wins.
- End by asking the winning team to cheer on the other team as they continue playing the game until they finish their verse.
What You Say: "Great job encouraging your teammates with high-fives, especially when they missed the container! Your encouragement made them feel like they were part of the team. When we encourage our friends, we give them energy to face challenges. Our verse tells us that [Bottom Line] friends encourage one another, and are there when hard times come. Good friends always practice encouraging friends."